Comey Calls Out His Critics

There was a particularly significant moment Wednesday as FBI Director James Comey forcefully defended his decision to disclose, just days before the election, that he’d reopened the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s e-mails.

Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee that, before he sent Congress a private message (immediately, and inevitably, leaked), one of his top aides asked: “Should you consider that what you’re about to do may elect Donald Trump?”

“Not for a moment,” he said he replied, “because down that path lies the death of the FBI ... I can’t consider for a second whose political fortunes will be affected.”

So much for the lingering claims that Comey set out to sabotage Clinton.

In fact, the FBI chief admitted, he realized he was in a no-win situation, forced to choose between disclosing the info (a “really bad” option) or concealing it (which he rightly labeled “catastrophic”).

But, he insisted, he did “the right thing at each turn.” The thought he might have influ- enced the outcome made him “mildly nauseous,” he admitted, but that “wouldn’t change my decision.”

He even defiantly challenged “everybody who disagrees with me” to “stare at this and tell me what you would do” and why.

Because what triggered Comey’s disclosure was the FBI’s sudden discovery of “hundreds of thousands” of Clinton e-mails — some with classified material — on serial sexter Anthony Weiner’s computer.

Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, had been forwarding the e-mails so he could print them out for Clinton. It’s bizarre behavior, and a shocking display of recklessness by a would-be president and her closest adviser.

And ultimately, that’s the real point: Had Secretary of State Clinton not set up a private, unsecured e-mail server and routinely used it to send messages with classified info, Jim Comey and the FBI never would’ve had anything to investigate.

When it comes to placing the actual blame for her defeat, in other words, the fingers inevitably point right back to her.